


WMHS: Transformation

by rockinhamburger



Category: Glee
Genre: Crack, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-08
Updated: 2011-04-08
Packaged: 2017-10-17 18:38:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/179993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rockinhamburger/pseuds/rockinhamburger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone anonymously starts up a fanfiction site about some of McKinley High's students. Safely ensconced at Dalton, Kurt is witness to the drama as an amused outside spectator. At first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	WMHS: Transformation

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted over at the kurt_blaine community in February, which means it deviates from the current canon storyline quite a bit.
> 
> It is, in a way, a character study of McKinley High.

When he logged onto Facebook that night after rehearsal, there were four messages in his inbox; one from Mercedes, one from Quinn, one from Artie, and one from Tina. Generally speaking, Kurt received messages from Mercedes. The rest of Glee usually Liked his statuses, commented on pictures, and wrote the occasional post on his Wall, so it was definitely odd to have messages from even one of the others, let alone three.

He checked Mercedes’ first.

 _Kurt, click this RIGHT NOW!_

There was a link to an external website, the url: http://www.wmhsff.net/

Kurt squinted at his screen and opened the link in a new tab. Then he moved on to Quinn’s message.

 _The immaturity of McKinley has reached an all-time high._

Quinn had posted the exact same link as Mercedes.

He had a feeling he knew what would be in the other two messages.

Artie’s messaged did indeed contain the same link, with the caption: _DUDE. CHECK IT._

Tina’s was, helpfully, more detailed.

 _Omg, Kurt! Someone started up a website of fanfics about the McKinley students!!!! I knew you’d appreciate it, considering our mutual love of Glambert fic!!_

 _You should read this one. It’s Puck/Quinn, and it's NC-17!!!_

 _After you read that, check out Sam/Quinn, also NC-17, and this Santana/Finn one. (Yep, you guessed it: NC-17.)_

Kurt stared, flabbergasted, at his computer screen. Next moment, he was fumbling hurriedly to click on the tab he’d already opened.

The website was just a very plain homepage with the header:

 **WMHS Fanfiction**

There were five subdivisions, Character: Puck, Character: Finn, Character: Quinn, Character: Sam, and Character: Santana, with one fic under each, two in Quinn’s case.

Kurt went back to Tina’s message and opened up the links she’d provided, inexplicably excited.

The Puck/Quinn one was extremely graphic. Quinn was in charge of things. Kurt took in every word furiously, wide-eyed and shocked, and then clicked the Finn/Santana one.

Three paragraphs in, Kurt grabbed his phone and hit Speed Dial 2. Mercedes picked up after the very first ring with, “Did you see it!?”

“Yes!” Kurt cried. “Who the hell is behind this?”

“No one knows! I didn’t even know about it until I got to school today. Tina showed us on her phone, and then we held an emergency meeting after school. Apparently, sometime last night someone sent an anonymous email out to everyone on the football team, and all the Cheerios.”

“I cannot believe this!” Kurt shrieked. “Fanfiction about McKinley students!?”

“I know! Quinn is _so_ angry.”

“I have no idea why,” Kurt said wryly, “She came off looking pretty good.”

“Kurt!” Mercedes squealed, laughing uproariously. “What would you do if a story surfaced with you in it?”

Kurt snorted. “A) Like that would ever happen. B) I’d be flattered. And C) _Like that would ever happen_!”

Mercedes laughed. “Okay, fine. Come on, though, you’d be embarrassed.”

“Maybe,” Kurt conceded, smiling. “You know what, though? Warblers practice was excruciating, so this has really brightened my day. The characterization of Puck was just _so_ funny.”

“Oh, I know! As if he’d ever used big words like that.”

Kurt fell back on his bed and roared with laughter. “Right!? And the writing is so BAD. ‘Swollen member’!?” he quoted. “Who says that?”

Mercedes giggled. “Better than the Sam/Quinn one. ‘Oyster’?”

Kurt laughed so hard he had to put his phone down to muffle the sound in his pillows. Wheezing and out of breath, he gasped, “So, any suspects?”

“Well, we don’t know for sure, obviously, but the leading suspect is—“

“Jacob Ben Israel?” Kurt guessed, speaking at the same time as Mercedes.

They laughed and shouted their mutual disgust at the notion. Pretty soon they were winding down and saying goodnight to each other.

Kurt went back to his Facebook page. There was a new message, another from Tina.

 _Kurt, are you sitting down? Whoever’s running this site just put up a slash fic!!!_

Kurt scrambled to click on the link she’d copy/pasted.

It was a Puck/Finn, NC-17 story!

Kurt began reading, heart somewhere in the vicinity of his throat.

 _It wasn’t gay if you were just getting each other off._

 _That’s what Puck told himself, anyway, as he jacked Finn’s cock, eyes riveted on the expression of pure enjoyment on Finn's face. The noises Finn was making –- they were like a livewire to Puck’s dick. They made him sit up straight and quicken his pace, hand a frenzied blur on Finn’s skin._

 _It wasn’t gay if you were just getting each other off._

Kurt X’d the browser. He was embarrassingly turned on. And kind of impressed; the writing was much better this time around.

He got ready for bed, brain going eighty miles per hour.

Whoever had started that website was definitely Kurt’s hero.

-

Kurt ate his lunch with his phone practically fixed to his hand. He was reading Tina’s texts, which had come in throughout the morning, detailing the reaction of the school.

(9:08, TINA) Puck’s declared war. He says he’s gonna find the person behind this, and then he’s gonna kill them.

(9:09, TINA) Finn won’t look anyone in the eye. It’s kind of sad, actually.

(9:32, TINA) I just heard some girls in the bathroom talking about how hot the fic was!

(10:00, TINA) Mr Schue found out about it. He says it’s a criminal offense to post pornography of real people, especially minors, on the internet, and whoever’s doing this could get in serious trouble.

(11:17, TINA) Sue Sylvester knows!! She said, and I quote: “Kids will be kids. You think this is hard? Try pursuing a career through rumours that you have a penis, _that’s hard_!”

And the most recent text, from 12:03: _Israel got called into Figgins’ office; they confiscated his laptop. I don’t know if it’s him, but he doesn’t look too worried._

“Hey!”

Kurt looked up. Blaine was standing in front of Kurt's table with a sandwich, a bottle of orange juice, and a smile. “Hi!” said Kurt. “Take a seat.”

Blaine did as commanded. Kurt glanced at his phone again, and Blaine tilted his head at Kurt. “You look preoccupied.”

Kurt leaned forward. “Have you ever heard of fanfiction?”

“Sure,” said Blaine, shrugging. “I used to read Harry Potter fanfiction back in the day.”

“You did!?” Kurt squealed. Some of his schoolmates at neighbouring tables looked over curiously, and Kurt cringed. Momentarily sidetracked by this information, he asked, “Who’d you ship?”

Blaine chuckled. “Harry/Draco.”

“Drarry,” Kurt scoffed. “I was all about Harry/Ron.”

“Really? But they’re best friends!”

Kurt busied himself with his food. “Friends can develop feelings for each other. And besides, Harry and Draco are sworn enemies.”

“Please,” Blaine said exasperatedly; he'd obviously argued the merits of Harry/Draco in the past, “Voldemort is Harry’s enemy. Draco’s his... adversary. Opposites attract and all that.”

“Delusional,” said Kurt, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

Blaine shrugged, smirked, and took a bite of his sandwich. He chewed thoughtfully. “So why’d you ask about fanfiction?”

Kurt blinked. Right. There was a point to this conversation. “Someone at McKinley started up a fanfiction site about some of the students.”

Blaine choked on his sandwich, coughed sporadically, and turned bright red. It was deeply fascinating (and rather amusing) to watch.

“Chew your food,” Kurt teased.

“Jerk,” Blaine rasped, glaring. “Okay, wait. Back up. Someone started a fanfiction site about the McKinley students?”

“I believe that’s what I just said,” Kurt said slowly, in the tone one might use to educate a two year old. “And no one knows who started it, but it’s the big gossip over there right now.”

Blaine let out a low whistle. “That’s pretty gutsy.” Kurt nodded fervently. “Are any of your friends on it?”

"The popular ones." He leaned in closer. “Whoever started it put up a slash fic last night, about Puck and Finn.”

Blaine’s eyes widened. “Holy shit,” he breathed.

Kurt nodded. “It was kind of... disturbingly hot.”

Blaine’s expression glazed over, and he stared at something blankly over Kurt’s shoulder, apparently picturing it. “Yeah, I’d imagine it would be.”

Kurt laughed, and his phone buzzed with another text from Tina.

 _This just in! It’s not Israel! The school’s ABUZZ._

Not for the first time, Kurt really wished he was still at McKinley. He was missing all the fun!

-

Over the next few days, Kurt regularly checked the website for more updates. There weren’t any new stories for three whole days. Tina reported that Puck figured whoever had started the site was scared he was going to kick their ass. Tina thought it was more likely the person behind it was letting the hype die down a little, what with the Jacob Ben Israel incident.

Mercedes reported that the administration couldn’t get the website taken down, but not for lack of trying. Technically, Mercedes said, there wasn’t anything legally wrong with the site. There was an enormous disclaimer right under the header of the main page that read: _These are fictional stories featuring characters that do not necessarily resemble real life people._

Kurt thought this just might be the most exciting thing that had happened to McKinley ever.

Until the next story went up that night.

It was listed under a new subdivision: _Character: Kurt._

Kurt felt his stomach drop out. No way. There was _no way_ someone had written a story about _him_. He wasn't even a McKinley student anymore!

Kurt clicked on it with trembling fingers, his heart careening in his ribcage.

The story was called _Behind the Scenes_. There was no rating. Kurt started reading, nerves frayed.

 _Being the only out gay kid at McKinley had many disadvantages._

 _The upside? Kurt was unashamedly himself._

 _The downside? He was pushed and shoved, called a fag and a homo. He was sneered and laughed at, and shamed daily, merely for having the courage to get up in the morning and walk into school._

 _No one seemed to notice his pain. His fellow classmates walked right by when those ignorant jocks threw him face first into a locker. They looked the other way when someone yelled FAGGOT down the hall._

 _All the while, Kurt kept his head up. He walked proud, unashamed._

 _But now he’s gone. Don’t pretend you haven’t noticed._

 _The_ utterly esteemed and hallowed _halls of McKinley are not the same without his stylish sashay. They want for a boy who knows who he is; a boy who doesn’t hide behind a facade, extracurricular uniform, and rampant homophobia._

 _These halls are empty without him._

 _Kurt Hummel, you are missed._

By the time he’d reached the end of the passage, Kurt was crying.

This anonymous person had essentially laid out his feelings in perfect clarity. It felt like a send-up, a nod to his struggles, and a direct message of support.

It wasn’t quite so direct, though, Kurt thought as he closed his browser, too scared to check Facebook. After all, this anonymous site runner was sharing Kurt’s struggles with the entire school.

He had so many conflicting feelings on the matter. He wasn’t sure if he was grateful or indignant. Maybe both.

He needed sleep. Tomorrow was bound to be interesting.

-

Kurt gathered up his courage and checked Facebook.

He had _one hundred_ friend requests, about the same number of messages in his inbox, and a ridiculous number of Wall Posts.

Kurt clicked one of his messages, the one at the top from someone named Chelsea.

 _I just read the story on WMHSFF, the one about you. It made me cry. I’m sorry I looked the other way._

Kurt stared at the words, hand over his heart.

There was a message from someone named Laney:

 _I had no idea how bad it was. I’m sorry I never paid attention._

And one from Stephanie G, the girl he’d sat beside his entire freshman year, in Spanish.

 _Can you forgive me for never saying anything to you? I always wanted to, you seemed nice and friendly. But I couldn’t work up the courage to speak to you. I’m ashamed to admit it, because obviously you’d been brave enough to come out and be yourself. The least I could have done was say hi. I’m sorry._

Kurt was crying again.

Who the hell was behind this? Somehow, this anonymous person had grabbed the attention of the entire school before holding up a microscope to Kurt’s life.

He wasn’t sure how he should feel about it. He wasn’t even sure how he _actually_ felt about it.

-

Blaine was very impressed when Kurt told him about the post.

“They’re placing your struggles front and center! They noticed you, and now they’re doing something to show the world, in a way.”

“Yeah, but don’t you think it’s kind of strange? An invasion of privacy?” Kurt asked quietly. “And what if people think I wrote it?”

“Well, from what you just told me, it sounds like it’s pretty obvious you didn’t write it,” Blaine replied. “And I think it’s kind of sweet. Whoever it is, they’re acknowledging you.”

Kurt nodded, but he was still uncertain. He felt exposed. Naked.

-

After school, Kurt drove to Lima. When he parked in the lot, he saw there should be about five minutes left of Glee rehearsal, if memory served him well.

It did. They were just finishing up when Kurt hesitantly into the room, pulling nervously on the hem of his Dalton blazer.

“Kurt!” Mercedes cried.

The word alone had every member of New Directions on their feet and headed in his direction. Kurt stopped himself from taking a step back and allowed his friends to pull him into a group hug.

“I was so mean to you,” Puck said, sounding dumbstruck.

“They were right,” Quinn said. “The school’s not the same without you.”

Everyone was nodding their agreement, and Kurt could only stare around, so surprised, so moved that words utterly failed him.

A definite rarity!

Tina said, “The whole school’s been talking about it. The football players are being shunned; it’s like a dream come true. I have no idea how it worked so well, but that story woke people up, Kurt.”

Kurt bit his lip and took in a ragged, stilted breath of air. “I don’t understand why people care now, all of a sudden...”

Mr Schue was the one to respond, gently: “Sometimes it takes a fellow peer to show you how wrong you’ve been.”

Kurt crumpled inward, and New Directions was there to keep him upright.

-

That night, Anonymous posted another story, also underneath the Character: Kurt tag.

This one was called _Secrets_.

Immediately, Kurt noticed that this one was different. Anonymous was writing in the first person.

 _I’m one of you._

 _I stood by and watched the football jocks torment Kurt Hummel. I’m as much a participant as anyone else, because I never said or did anything. I’m anonymous for a reason; I’m you, you’re me. And I’ve kept this secret for far too long._

 _Last semester, Dave Karofsky set his sights on Kurt in a sinister manner. What was once a slushie facial or a hard tap into a locker escalated to exponential levels. I saw it happen. You probably did too. I watched that meathead bully shove Kurt around every single day. I stood and watched, too scared to intervene._

 _One day, Karofsky slapped Kurt’s phone out of his hand. Instead of lying back and taking the abuse, Kurt ran after Karosfky. Thinking back, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner._

 _I saw his phone on the floor. I was worried. Kurt’s a small guy, and Karofsky’s huge. So I picked it up, and I went to give it back to him, and to make sure that if anything happened I could at least run and get a teacher._

 _I figured I’d witness a physical fight, or something._

 _Or something indeed._

 _Karosfky kissed Kurt. Be sure to read that again, because_ Karofsky _kissed_ Kurt.

 _So, it turns out Karokfsy has a secret he doesn’t want you to know. He's got a secret so shameful he feels the need to take it out on the human manifestation of his fears and deep-seated insecurities. He hides behind that letterman jacket and homophobia to mask who he really is._

 _And Kurt never said anything. How easy it would have been to turn the tables, to give Karofsky a taste of his own medicine, let him experience some of the pain he's been taking for years._

 _But he didn't, and you know why? Because Kurt's a good person. If only we were as good._

 _It's time to face the facts._

 _This school is fucked up._

 _We stand idly by when one of our members is being bullied every day. We make fun of Glee Club when, deep down, we wish we could be a part of it. (It looks like fun, doesn’t it? Don’t lie. I'm you, remember? You're me.) We turn the other cheek when we should be defending our classmates. We pretend not to notice when someone focuses all their energy on making the only out gay kid’s life a living hell. Instead of applauding his bravery, we laugh behind his back and make him feel worthless._

 _I’m not keeping it secret anymore. I urge you to do the same._

 _There is nothing wrong with Kurt Hummel, but there is something very wrong with this school. We need to come out and be honest about it. We need to be brave like Kurt, and maybe, just maybe, change our sinister ways._

-

Kurt ran up the two flights of stairs to Blaine’s dorm room and knocked urgently.

“Come in,” Blaine called.

Kurt opened the door and strode in. He walked right over to the bed, where Blaine was spread out on his back with a textbook open on his lap. Kurt used his phone to locate the latest development and handed it wordlessly to Blaine.

Blaine read the words, his eyebrows skyrocketing higher with every movement of his eyes across the screen.

When he came to the end, Blaine looked up. “Wow.”

Kurt was shaking uncontrollably. “I – I don’t – I can’t-“

Blaine scooted over on the bed and patted the empty space on the mattress beside him. “Lie down,” he said softly.

Kurt acquiesced, and then he turned and latched onto Blaine, who pulled him close and began rubbing his back in comforting circles.

He fell asleep like that, with his arms around Blaine, and Blaine's around him.

-

The post cracked the surface of McKinley, leaving stark reality in its wake. When Kurt spoke to Tina and Mercedes on Skype the night after the page was posted, he got the whole story.

Karofsky hadn’t come to school. Word had got out that he was transferring, which was apparently enough confirmation to the truth of the post.

According to the girls, the hierarchy system was breaking down. The cheerleaders were talking to the chess club, the debate team conversing with the stamp collectors. Glee Club had fifty new people wanting to audition, and counting! That day, there had been no slushie facials, no locker shoves, and no rude words thrown across a hallway.

“Everyone’s talking about you!” Mercedes said excitedly. “They all know you’re at Dalton now, and we had so many people asking if you were coming back.”

Kurt felt a strange combination of emotion brewing inside him. He was confused, surprised and touched. He was torn.

“Are you coming back, Kurt?” Tina asked quietly, hesitantly. Both her and Mercedes looked anxious about Kurt’s possible response.

Kurt let out a breath. “Not yet," he said apologetically. "I’ll come back in the fall, but I need to finish the year at Dalton.”

“Kurt! Why can’t you come back now?” Mercedes half-whined, looking so sad that Kurt had to look away.

“I have unfinished business. It’s kind of selfish,” Kurt muttered, “but I think something’s developing between me and Blaine, and for now I just - I need to see it through. Please understand.”

Tina nodded sadly. “We do. Of course we do.”

-

The posts had stopped. Whoever had started it all had apparently gotten their message across.

Some changes were made to the site. The porn fics were taken down, but the two stories about Kurt were left up. The disclaimer disappeared, and the header was changed to:

 **WMHS: Transformation**

Apart from Puck (who seemed oddly disappointed that the stories about him had been taken down), no one seemed upset that the posts had stopped.

Whoever had done all this--and there was still no hint as to who it might have been--it was clear they'd had a very specific goal in mind: expose McKinley’s inner demons to itself.

It had somehow, unbelievably, miraculously _worked_.

Kurt was excited by the deeper bond sprouting between him and Blaine. He was excited by the prospect of attending a McKinley that was beginning to resemble Dalton.

He hoped he’d be able to thank the person responsible someday.


End file.
